Pearl Jam makes 'Last Kiss' writer rich
The man who gave Pearl Jam their "Last Kiss" says it was really a case of divine intervention.
Wayne Cochran, who wrote the ode to ill-starred teenage love 47 years ago, told Reuters he now runs a Christian ministry in Miami, and was surprised Pearl Jam chose to cover "Last Kiss" -- which promptly became the group's biggest-ever selling single.
"How could it not be the hand of the Lord?", the 61-year-old, who stands to earn a substantial payday as a result of royalties on Pearl Jam's hit, told Reuters.
Cochran received an award Tuesday in Los Angeles from Broadcast Music Inc., which oversees songwriting performance royalties. BMI certified that "Last Kiss" was one of the 75 most performed songs on radio last year, Reuters said.
The story of how "Last Kiss" got its second wind on the charts lends credence to Cochran's theory of help from above.
Back in 1964, the song -- a tale of a first date that ends in a car crash, based on a true story from Cochran's youth -- became a number two hit for J. Frank Wilson.
Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder discovered the song at an antique store, taught it to the band, and the group recorded it at a soundcheck as their 1998 Christmas single for fans.
But radio stations began playing the song, which forced the group to release "Last Kiss" as a single, and then later as part of the "No Boundaries" Kosovo refugee benefit record.
Cochran told Reuters the first he knew of Pearl Jam's cover came when his grandchildren informed him.
"I made a lot of money, and I haven't gotten it all yet," Cochran said. "It's just starting to come in".
Originally posted by the unseen Pearl Jam makes 'Last Kiss' writer rich
The man who gave Pearl Jam their "Last Kiss" says it was really a case of divine intervention.
Wayne Cochran, who wrote the ode to ill-starred teenage love 47 years ago, told Reuters he now runs a Christian ministry in Miami, and was surprised Pearl Jam chose to cover "Last Kiss" -- which promptly became the group's biggest-ever selling single.
"How could it not be the hand of the Lord?", the 61-year-old, who stands to earn a substantial payday as a result of royalties on Pearl Jam's hit, told Reuters.
Cochran received an award Tuesday in Los Angeles from Broadcast Music Inc., which oversees songwriting performance royalties. BMI certified that "Last Kiss" was one of the 75 most performed songs on radio last year, Reuters said.
The story of how "Last Kiss" got its second wind on the charts lends credence to Cochran's theory of help from above.
Back in 1964, the song -- a tale of a first date that ends in a car crash, based on a true story from Cochran's youth -- became a number two hit for J. Frank Wilson.
Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder discovered the song at an antique store, taught it to the band, and the group recorded it at a soundcheck as their 1998 Christmas single for fans.
But radio stations began playing the song, which forced the group to release "Last Kiss" as a single, and then later as part of the "No Boundaries" Kosovo refugee benefit record.
Cochran told Reuters the first he knew of Pearl Jam's cover came when his grandchildren informed him.
"I made a lot of money, and I haven't gotten it all yet," Cochran said. "It's just starting to come in".
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The man who gave Pearl Jam their "Last Kiss" says it was really a case of divine intervention.
Wayne Cochran, who wrote the ode to ill-starred teenage love 47 years ago, told Reuters he now runs a Christian ministry in Miami, and was surprised Pearl Jam chose to cover "Last Kiss" -- which promptly became the group's biggest-ever selling single.
"How could it not be the hand of the Lord?", the 61-year-old, who stands to earn a substantial payday as a result of royalties on Pearl Jam's hit, told Reuters.
Cochran received an award Tuesday in Los Angeles from Broadcast Music Inc., which oversees songwriting performance royalties. BMI certified that "Last Kiss" was one of the 75 most performed songs on radio last year, Reuters said.
The story of how "Last Kiss" got its second wind on the charts lends credence to Cochran's theory of help from above.
Back in 1964, the song -- a tale of a first date that ends in a car crash, based on a true story from Cochran's youth -- became a number two hit for J. Frank Wilson.
Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder discovered the song at an antique store, taught it to the band, and the group recorded it at a soundcheck as their 1998 Christmas single for fans.
But radio stations began playing the song, which forced the group to release "Last Kiss" as a single, and then later as part of the "No Boundaries" Kosovo refugee benefit record.
Cochran told Reuters the first he knew of Pearl Jam's cover came when his grandchildren informed him.
"I made a lot of money, and I haven't gotten it all yet," Cochran said. "It's just starting to come in".
http://www.canoe.ca/JamMusicPearlJam/may19_pearl.html
thanks for that background info...
how ya been dude????
like a 1950's AM radio station....
the hits keep on comin'
well rock on